The Spire of the Church of Our Saviour

The baroque-styled Church of Our Saviour in Copenhagen, Denmark is especially famous for its corkscrew spire that features an external winding staircase that reaches to the top. The completion of this church took quite some time. Construction started in 1682 but it was only inaugurated 14 years later. Even with its inauguration, there were still temporary components of the church including its altar. The spire as now seen did not exist yet during the inauguration.

The construction of the spire happened under the reign of a different ruler from the time the main church was built. Its original design was abandoned in favor of the new design by Lauritz de Thurah. The reigning king then made his historic climb of the tower in 1752.

There is an urban legend going the rounds for many years about how the spire designer supposedly leapt to his death after realizing that the spiral staircase turns counterclockwise which by common standard will be the wrong way. This has been proven to be a myth since Thurah died in his bed a good seven years after the spire was completed. Still, such legend makes for an interesting talking point about this famous attraction.

The black and golden spire proudly stands at 90 meters high. On top of the spire is a gilded globe showing the truimphant Christ. It is said to be an ugly sculpture because of its extremely exaggerated proportions but this choice has been explained by the need to make the sculpture for long distance viewing instead of up close. The carillon of the church which plays music by the hour is also one of the reasons for the church’s popularity.